From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or "blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

On Sun, 05 Oct 2025 16:43:34 +0200, Steve Hayes
<hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or >"blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

Terms used in the movie "The Matrix".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill

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From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

On 05/10/2025 15:43, Steve Hayes wrote:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or "blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill

The red pill and blue pill are metaphorical terms representing a
choice between learning an unsettling or life-changing truth by
taking the red pill or remaining in the unquestioned experience
of an illusion appearing as ordinary reality with the blue pill.
The pills were used as props in the 1999 film The Matrix.


(First para of long article)
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within
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From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

In article <10bu22b$3ggi7$1
@dont-email.me>,
rjh@cpax.org.uk says...

On 05/10/2025 15:43, Steve Hayes wrote:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or "blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill

The red pill and blue pill are metaphorical terms representing a
choice between learning an unsettling or life-changing truth by
taking the red pill or remaining in the unquestioned experience
of an illusion appearing as ordinary reality with the blue pill.
The pills were used as props in the 1999 film The Matrix.

In common parlance, red-
pilled tends to mean becoming
conservative while blue-
pilled means becoming or
remaining liberal. Being
black-pilled usually means
getting fed up with all of it
and turning to general
misanthropy.


Melissa



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From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

On Sun, 5 Oct 2025 12:53:31 -0400, The True Melissa
<thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

In article <10bu22b$3ggi7$1
@dont-email.me>,
rjh@cpax.org.uk says...

On 05/10/2025 15:43, Steve Hayes wrote:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or
"blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill

The red pill and blue pill are metaphorical terms representing a
choice between learning an unsettling or life-changing truth by
taking the red pill or remaining in the unquestioned experience
of an illusion appearing as ordinary reality with the blue pill.
The pills were used as props in the 1999 film The Matrix.

In common parlance, red-
pilled tends to mean becoming
conservative while blue-
pilled means becoming or
remaining liberal. Being
black-pilled usually means
getting fed up with all of it
and turning to general
misanthropy.

Interesting.

Unless I'm missing something, it therefore seems that in common
parlance the meaning is the opposie from that in the movie "The
Matrix" (which I haven't seen, and am now unlikely to be able to see).

In my youth there used to be an advertising jingle, "You can stay as
you like for the rest of your life or you can change to Mainstay"
(Mainstay was a brand of alcoholic liquor maid from sugar cane).

From what I've been told about "The Matrix" the you take the blue pill
to stay as you are for the rest of your life, which would be the
conservative option, surely?
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

On Sun, 5 Oct 2025 12:53:31 -0400, The True Melissa
<thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

In article <10bu22b$3ggi7$1
@dont-email.me>,
rjh@cpax.org.uk says...

On 05/10/2025 15:43, Steve Hayes wrote:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or
"blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill

The red pill and blue pill are metaphorical terms representing a
choice between learning an unsettling or life-changing truth by
taking the red pill or remaining in the unquestioned experience
of an illusion appearing as ordinary reality with the blue pill.
The pills were used as props in the 1999 film The Matrix.

In common parlance, red-
pilled tends to mean becoming
conservative while blue-
pilled means becoming or
remaining liberal. Being
black-pilled usually means
getting fed up with all of it
and turning to general
misanthropy.

Another thought:

In the Wikipedia article recommended by Tony Cooper I read:

'"taking the red pill" or being "red-pilled" typically means becoming
aware of perceived political biases in society, including those in
mainstream media, and viewing oneself as an independent thinker;'

Which I underst6and as one of the core meanings of being "woke".

"whereas "taking the blue pill" or being "blue-pilled" generally means unquestioningly accepting these perceived biases."

"Individuals who identify as "red pilled" often espouse conspiracy
theories, antisemitism, white supremacy, homophobia, and misogyny."

Weird inconsistency.

So the meaning remains out of reach.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

Den 06.10.2025 kl. 05.25 skrev Steve Hayes:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or
"blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill

The red pill and blue pill are metaphorical terms representing a
choice between learning an unsettling or life-changing truth by
taking the red pill or remaining in the unquestioned experience
of an illusion appearing as ordinary reality with the blue pill.
The pills were used as props in the 1999 film The Matrix.

In common parlance, red-
pilled tends to mean becoming
conservative while blue-
pilled means becoming or
remaining liberal. Being
black-pilled usually means
getting fed up with all of it
and turning to general
misanthropy.

Interesting.

Unless I'm missing something, it therefore seems that in common
parlance the meaning is the opposie from that in the movie "The
Matrix" (which I haven't seen, and am now unlikely to be able to see).

Yes, but that (the meaning that Melissa explained) may be caused by the Americam confusion where red means conservative in opposition to the
rest of the world where red is the leftwing colour.

From what I've been told about "The Matrix" the you take the blue pill
to stay as you are for the rest of your life, which would be the
conservative option, surely?

Yes. The red pill will reveal to you that you are caught in the web of
the Robotic Universe that sucks energy out of your body. The blue pill
will keep you in the illusion that you have a life.

Any similarity to modern life is unintentional.
--
Bertel, Kolt, Danmark

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From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

In article
<kud6ekllcc8uqfdhkaqa6fq92log
i77jrq@4ax.com>,
hayesstw@telkomsa.net says...

'"taking the red pill" or being "red-pilled" typically means becoming
aware of perceived political biases in society, including those in
mainstream media, and viewing oneself as an independent thinker;'

Which I underst6and as one of the core meanings of being "woke".

The people who use the term
understand it differently,
more as seeing through the
bias of "woke" itself.


Melissa

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From Newsgroup: alt.english.usage

On 05/10/2025 16:43, Steve Hayes wrote:

I occasionally see references online to people being "red-pilled" or "blue-pilled" or black-pilled".

Can anyone explain the meaning of these terms?

The first seconds of this video is a stand-up comedian's take:

https://youtu.be/HJReUNyYJZQ?t=2973
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